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USAT Events

Olympic-Distance National Championships

*Please note that the 2014 Qualification Standards have been modified from previous years.

Any athlete who wants to compete at the USA Triathlon Olympic-Distance National Championships must qualify in their respective age group at a USA Triathlon Sanctioned Event of a qualifying distance. This event is the only USA Triathlon National Championship for which athletes have to meet a strict qualification.

Qualifying distances include: Sprint, intermediate/Olympic, long (half Iron) and ultra (full Iron) distance on-road, and all off-road triathlons. You may qualify in any of these specified distances as long as the race is a USA Triathlon Sanctioned Event. However, each athlete will qualify to compete in the Olympic-Distance National Championship. Qualification can no longer be met in duathlon, aquathlon or aquabike categories.

Qualification must be met in the age-group category of a race (not in an elite, open, Athena, Clydesdale, etc. category). Qualification is based on the finish in the athlete's age group, not where the athlete is extended an award. For example, if an athlete is pulled out of their age group and awarded in the masters or grand masters category, compare the finishing time to the athlete's actual age group to determine qualification.

Athletes can meet qualification at any USA Triathlon Sanctioned Event beginning on July 10, 2013, and ending eight days prior to the 2014 USA Triathlon Olympic-Distance National Championship event date (Aug. 9, 2014). All athletes must be at least 17 years old by Dec. 31, 2014.
How to qualify:

Special Qualifiers and Regional Championship races will qualify the top 33 percent or top five finishers (whichever is greater) in each age group. A complete list of 2014 Regional Championships and Special Qualifiers can be found HERE.

** Note: If there are 35 athletes in an age group and an athlete places 12th or higher, they have qualified for the 2014 Olympic-Distance Nationals. If an athlete places 13th out of 35 they have not qualified.

A non-championship USA Triathlon Sanctioned Event in one of the specified qualifying distances (as explained above) will qualify the top 10 percent or top finisher (whichever is greater) in each age group.

** Note: If there are 25 athletes in an age group and an athlete places 3rd or higher, they have qualified for the 2014 Olympic-Distance Nationals. If an athlete places 4th out of 25 they have not qualified.

The top 33 percent or top 10 (whichever is greater) athletes in each age group at the USA Triathlon Sprint, Olympic-Distance and Long Course Triathlon National Championships in the current and/or previous year automatically qualify.

Any athlete who has competed as a member of 2013 Team USA in Sprint, Intermediate/Olympic or Long Course Triathlon will automatically qualify. Qualification can no longer be met for any other Team USA or from participation more than one year prior.

All-Americans from the 2013 USA Triathlon National Rankings automatically qualify.

Athena and ClydesdaleSince ITU does not support a division for Athenas and Clydesdales at its Sprint and Olympic-Distance World Championships, USA Triathlon will not be supporting an Athena and Clydesdale division moving forward at the Age Group National Championships. If the athlete’s intent is to qualify for either the Sprint or Olympic-Distance World Championship, they will need to compete in the wave corresponding with their age group at the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship. Again, since the Age Group National Championship will no longer support the Clydesdale and Athena division, all athletes will need to meet qualification in the athlete’s respective age group at a Sanctioned Event when qualifying.

What do I do once I have qualified?
Once athletes have officially qualified, they will receive an email from USA Triathlon indicating their official qualification. Athletes will first receive an automatic email. The automatic emails will begin in the late fall of 2013. After receiving the qualification email you will receive a VIP email invitation the next business day with the registration link. Note: The registration system will recognize qualified athletes once results are uploaded into the rankings system. If an athlete has questions regarding qualification for the event, please contact NationalEvents@usatriathlon.org.

Team USA Qualifications2015 World Championship Qualifications: The 2014 Olympic-Distance National Championships will qualify athletes for the 2015 International Triathlon Union (ITU) Short Course (Olympic) Triathlon World Championships in Chicago, Illinois. There will be 18 slots on Team USA available per age group, with slots rolling down to 25th place after the age-up rule.

Team USA Age-Up Rule At 2014 Age Group Nationals, athletes will race in their appropriate age groups based on their age as of Dec. 31, 2014. Awards will be issued based on those results. If an athlete "ages up" into another age group in 2015, a separate set of results will be issued accounting for those athletes who aged up and Team USA slots will be awarded based on these results. So their finish time will be compared to those athletes in the older age group. For example, if John Doe is going to be 49 years old by Dec. 31, 2014, he will age-up up into the 50-54 age group for the 2014 World Championships since he will be 50 years old by Dec. 31, 2015. Thus, for Team USA qualifying purposes, his time at the qualification event will be compared to the men currently in the 50-54 age group. We will post the age-up results at the awards ceremony.

Be a U.S. national – someone who has resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years and has not competed for their country of citizenship in the prior year.

Team USA eligible athletes must not have competed for their country of citizenship in the prior year. Athletes who choose to be recognized as nationals who have competed for their country of citizenship in the last year may get dispensation by obtaining a letter from the National Federation of their home country allowing competition as a USA athlete.